Man charged in murder of transgender woman in Dallas
Chynal Lindsey/Facebook
A man has been charged in the murder investigation of Dallas transgender woman Chynal Lindsey, who was found dead in a lake earlier this month.
The Dallas Police Department arrested 22-year-old Ruben Alvarado yesterday (June 20) on murder charges. He was brought to police headquarters for questioning, but officers said he refused to cooperate, according to ABC News.
“After a thorough investigation, evidence led detectives to Ruben Alvarado, Latin male 22 years old,” a statement from the police department said.
“At this point, Arrestee Alvarado refused any further engagement with detectives.”
Transgender woman Chynal Lindsey’s body showed ‘obvious signs of homicidal violence’
Detectives launched an investigation after Lindsey was found dead in White Rock Lake, Dallas on June 1. In a press conference earlier this month, Dallas Police Chief Reneé Hall said Lindsey’s body showed “obvious signs of homicidal violence.”
Lindsey was the eighth transgender person to be murdered in the US in 2019 so far, and the third black transgender woman killed in Dallas in the last 12 months alone.
The murder came just weeks after another transgender woman, Muylaysia Booker, was murdered in Dallas. The 23-year-old was found face down on the street on May 18 and had been shot dead.
The city’s investigators called on the FBI to aid the investigation earlier this month to help them track down the murderers.
“After a thorough investigation, evidence led detectives to Ruben Alvarado, Latin male 22 years old.”
– Dallas Police statement
“We are concerned,” Hall admitted. “We are actively and aggressively investigating this case, and we have reached out to our federal partners to assist us in these efforts.”
The investigation previously led police to arrest Kendrell Lavar Lyles, who was charged with the murder of Booker and two other people, who were not trans.
It was reported at the time that Lyles was also a person of interest in Lindsey’s murder investigation.
Family described her as ‘happy and peaceful’
When news broke earlier this month that Lindsey had been murdered, friends and family spoke about her as “a happy and peaceful person.”
Her cousin, Tamaya Seaphus, told CBS11 of the last time she saw Lindsey: “[She] was just smiling, smiling, smiling ‘cause [she] was so excited to see us.”
She added to WFAA: “It’s devastating. This was a person that I had never seen mad… I just can’t see anyone hurting [her]. Not aggressive, not violent, [she] was a people pleaser.”
Seaphus said Lindsey was adopted and grew up near Chicago. She moved to Texas around six years ago to reconnect with her biological family.
